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Western Australia District Court Judge Martin Flynn sentenced Christopher Saunders to six years and six months in prison on October 7, 2026, with the term backdated to August 12 when the 76-year-old was taken into custody after his convictions. The judge ruled Saunders will be eligible for parole after four and a half years, noting the two victims provided resilient and consistent testimony about the offences. Saunders was found guilty of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault against the men, who were Catholics in the Kimberley diocese where he served as the most senior church figure.
Prosecutors told the court that Saunders engaged in systemic grooming of the victims between 2010 and 2019, using church funds and properties to host alcohol-fuelled parties that required male guests to remove their shirts. One victim recalled the bishop placing his genitals on the young man’s foot while saying no one would know or find out, leaving the complainant scared to disobey. The jury acquitted him of six further charges after a three-week trial, including some relating to a third man.
The sentencing of former Australian bishop jailed for sexually abusing young men has positioned Saunders as one of the highest-ranking Catholic clergy in Australia to be convicted of such crimes while in office. He was ordained Bishop of Broome in 1996, overseeing 13 schools and nine parishes across a vast remote region before stepping aside in 2020 when the claims emerged publicly. An internal church investigation referenced by BishopAccountability.org identified 67 additional Aboriginal boys and men who may have been subjected to grooming or delictual acts by Saunders, with Pope Francis accepting his resignation in 2021.
Detective Sergeant Andrew Broadley of the Western Australia Police Child Sex Abuse Squad stated after the August guilty verdicts that the victims and witnesses showed tremendous courage in coming forward and participating in the process. Current Bishop of Broome Tim Norton released a statement thanking police and the Director of Public Prosecutions for pursuing the matter before a jury. WA Today reported that the court heard how the bishop supplied large amounts of alcohol before the unwanted touching and kissing occurred at church-owned locations.
The convictions stemmed from a long-running investigation that led to Saunders’ arrest in February 2024 on 19 sexual offence charges, four of which were dropped before the trial. ABC News noted that Saunders, known to victims as Brother B, had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men and acted on it when opportunities arose. The case adds to scrutiny of the Catholic Church in Australia, where similar allegations have prompted major inquiries over the past decade.
